1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to a cassette transfer apparatus, and in particular to a cassette transfer apparatus which feeds the cassette in two substantially perpendicular directions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Data storage demands are increasing as ever more data is available in electronic format. Security of the data demands that backup copies of the data be made on a periodic basis. Data backup has been performed on magnetic tapes, and as a result of increasing data volume the capacities of the tape cassettes has increased. However, data volume has grown faster than tape cassette capacity so it is may no longer be possible to use a single tape cassette for data storage and/or backup.
During a data backup or storage processes, technical personnel may be required to monitor the progress of the backup or storage and remove tape cassettes that are full and replace them with other cassettes. It would be an improvement if an automated apparatus were provided to change out the tape cassettes and replace the cassette with another cassette without human intervention.